Love Tale

Nathan looked at the fight intently. He went to the underworld fights often but this one was special. Natalie Bridgestone, an 18-year old mixed martial artist was fighting in the ring. Against the champion of the fights. She was beating him bloody while all her fans kept cheering from all around. That was her last match. He never saw her again. He waited and waited but she never came back into the ring, legally or illegally. He searched everywhere but couldn’t find her.  

4 YEARS LATER 

Natalie lay on her sofa watching TV. Her life became all messed up.

She first lost her parents in a car accident on the day she won the underworld title. Then her grandparents disowned her and threw her out with her younger brother as they thought she caused her parents to die so that she could get all their wealth. Then she approached her boyfriend when she thought everything was lost and found him in his car laid with another girl. She couldn’t afford to cry with her 10-year old brother asking her where their parents were. She then bunked with her best friend after telling her everything. Her life was getting a little better and she was offered another bout at the inter-college kickboxing league. Just while she was in the bus going to the venue, an earthquake occurred. The whole town collapsed and her friend and her friend's parents died. Her brother got hit in his lower back by glass and his head hit the roof really hard. Shielding her brother, she fractured an arm and had scratches all over her body.

Her brother was knocked unconscious and several people in the bus were injured. The driver seemed to be unconscious after hitting the wheel. There was rubble all around the road. She carried her brother out placed him on the side of the road and carried the other unconscious and wounded people out of there. A couple hours later there was a relief team there. They set up a camp and started bringing people into the beds. Her brother hadn't woken up yet so she cried her heart out. Wherever she went, disaster struck. She recovered a few minutes later and started helping the relief team sort things out. After that incident, she talked to one of the woman who volunteered. She told her that she had a charity set up for the destitute and could help her. Natalie readily agreed. Then the doctor who treated her brother told her that her brother had been paralysed the waist down and it was unlikely he would ever walk again.

An year later, things were getting much better. She was 20 year old and working at a small restaurant as a chef and her brother was going to school regularly. She had a very close relationship with the restaurant owner's son. He seemed to have a soft spot for her and was a real gentleman. He also turned out to have been one of the people she beat up in her underworld bouts. He was completely different from what she had expected him to be but he explained that he was forced to fight because all the fighters chickened out. They eventually married and settled down. She was noticed by a food critic and given a chance to work at a big hotel. She accepted the offer and she quickly rose higher in the next year and then switched to the administrative side. Her husband got a good job in a well-known corporation. The couple was happy and her brother lived with them.

Her brother was much weaker than he was before the earthquake and often fell ill. This time, a day after he came home with his first girlfriend, he went into coma. 6 months later, her husband died of a heart attack. She was sore from crying every day missing everything she had lost, her parents, her best friend since she was a kid and her husband. A few months later she was still completely lost in her thoughts and lay like a potato couch growing fatter everyday sitting and crying in front of the TV.

She took her car out for a ride trying to let go of her emotions. She saw a car wash nearby and stopped. She gave her car for a full cleanup and sat down on one of the benches.

Another boy came in with an expensive looking car that read Lotus from behind. He was walking towards her. He looked really happy and crashed into the seat beside her.

"Hi, is that gorgeous Tesla yours?", the boy asked.

"Yeah.", she replied with a dry voice and devoid of expression.

"Cheer up, woman, it’s a fine fine day today, enjoy it!", he announced. She remained silent. This boy was a little annoying.

He looked at her and his expression suddenly changed and he became really serious.

"I am sorry.", he said.

"What… what for?", she inquired, mildly curious at the sudden change of expression.

"For being insensitive. And I am truly sorry for your loss."

"Loss? How do you…"

"I can tell, you have the same eyes I used to have."

"What do you mean?", she asked, now completely focused on him.

"I lost my sister a few years ago. She was 3 years older than me. I was somewhat a genius, nobody could believe she was my sister. She was more like a wild beast.", he looked down and rotated his foot on the ground. Like he was burying old memories. "She was always there for me. Even though I was much younger, I was only one grade below her in school. She was like the most popular person in the whole school. She had a passion for boxing. She wanted to become a professional athlete. I was 11 years old when she lost for the first time against an older girl. She started training seriously then and brought me to all her matches. I started watching training videos with her and she made me start boxing too. After half an year, she had a match with the same girl and lost again. She came back home really upset and causing a tantrum in the house. Then, at that time, I told her, 'Her left side was much weaker, her jabs were much weaker and hooks clumsier. If you attacked her right side first, she would have been forced to sidestep, withdraw or attack with her left side, then you could have taken that moment to launch a fast attack and knocked her out.' Then, at first she seemed pissed off that I was lecturing her, then she just pounced on me and hugged me hard and said, 'Nathan, you become my coach, you would be awesome'. That ignited a spark in me to start training to become a fighter."

He suddenly looked at her, and his expression again changed and became somewhat like he was embarrassed. "I am sorry, I was rambling. I tend to do that a lot. Makes me feel like a dumbass."

"Oh, no! It's fine. I was always a better listener. And your story is interesting too. You don’t sound like a dumbass anyway. Just continue."

"Thanks. It always makes it easier just by telling someone. Takes a burden off your heart. There isn't much story left anyway. She died 3 years later. Diagnosed with leukemia."

"I'm sorry.", she said.

"Lol, it's fine. I miss her, but I am not stuck to her memories, I guess you gotta move on.", saying that he got up and turned to go.

Natalie pondered over what he said. "I didn’t catch your name there. I am Natalie", she said.

The boy turned back to look at her. His blue eyes glistened under his light brown silky hair. He looked a little short for his age but was quite handsome. "The name's Nathan. And don't look so sulky, you will find another man you love. You should start dating before you become an old woman."

"How…", she started in a surprised tone.

"Wild guess. See ya, then.", he replied and winked.

She murmured a yeah to herself. She probably would have to try and open up to someone.

Next day, she stared at the doors of the church. It had been ages since she came so close to those doors. She walked in into the empty unlit church. She had nothing to confess but she needed someone to talk to. There was a shuffling sound near the box. Like a cat running or something. She entered the box and sat down. The priest's face looked very wrinkled and almost like he had gone for plastic surgery a dozen times.

When he spoke, it seemed like old withered leaves falling off the trees. His voice was thick with a raspy accent. "How are you, child? Something bothering you, huh?", he asked.

"Father, can I talk to you?", she asked, the question immediately sounding dumb.

"Of course, dear, why else would you be here?", he said in a louder voice and let go a huge bellow which might have been laughter.

"I have a story to tell, and it's quite long.", she said more slowly.

"Ah, a story, I have heard many a story in me long life. I can definitely bear to hear another one.", he replied with a unnerving smile which made his lips seem even bigger and his expression was quite mild. Like he was halfway between a party DJ and a philosopher.

At first, she found it hard to talk. She often choked on her sentences midway. They talked for a long time as she kept telling him about her past. He kept listening intently and sometimes his eyes became moist with tears.

It was evening when she left. The priest hadn't come out and she drove away. There was a small difference in her mind. She didn’t think too much about what she had lost. For the first time in months, she had a peaceful sleep.

She drove to a nearby café next day for some breakfast. Just as she sipped on her hot coffee, Nathan walked into the café. He saw her and waved.

"Hi, Nathan.", she said. He sat opposite her and ordered some coffee which had an extra-long name which ended with latte. She smiled.

"You look great when you smile.", he immediately said. Her expression became unreadable. A stranger who she met once before managed to make her smile for the first time in months. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? You suddenly stopped smiling.", he said, this time with more caution.

"No, nothing's wrong. In fact, everything's great.", she said. "Thanks for talking last time. It really got me out. What you said was true."

"Oh, what did I say that I managed to save the maiden's day, heh?", he asked fiddling with his jacket's zipper.

"Nothing really, just listening to you made me feel different.", she said.

"What now? You have got a long time ahead of you, what are you gonna do?", he inquired.

"I don’t know", she answered.

They sat quietly for some time sipping their coffee slowly and just looking around.

"Why don't you try boxing again?", he said all of a sudden. She spit her coffee out on the table and started coughing simultaneously and looked at him with an expression of surprise and a hint of anger. He stared at the table and his jacket and started wiping it with a tissue.

"I am sorry! I was just surprised.", she announced, loud enough for the few other customers to stare at them making it even more awkward. "Why do you seem to know everything? Are you stalking me or something?", she asked, more quietly.

"Oh god, no! Your arms are well muscled and your shoulder movements are smoother than normal people and your sitting and talking style reflect a slightly aggressive attitude that fighters have. Besides, your knuckles have old bruises and wrist is unnaturally stiff. So, I guessed you were a boxer.", he said.

"Woah! Your guess was right but I don’t think I should box now. I am totally out of shape.", she said, her voice dropping at the end.

"Not really, you should give it a try. If you work out you could get back in shape in less than a month. I know a guy at this gym, I could let you use it. They have some boxers too so their boxing equipment is pretty good.", he said.

"I am sorry but I think I lost interest in it now.", she told him. Her coffee was over and she put her cup down.

"You are lying to yourself.", he muttered.

"Shut up! You have no right to say anything like that.", she shouted and stormed off the place. She didn’t turn back to look at Nathan.

She was angry when he said that but knew what he said wasn’t wrong. She felt guilty and wanted to say sorry to him. She talked with the priest often now. He started telling her about his past and stories that made her laugh and cry. One day, she told him about Nathan.

"You should go find him. He brought you back into your senses. He saved you from drowning into the past. You should atleast apologise to him remove the guilt from your heart.", the priest said in his interesting voice. "Confessing is often the best thing to do."

"Yeah, but where should I start? I don't know anything besides his name."

"God will light the path, you just need to see the light."

She gave her car at the car wash and waited. Sure enough, he came. He was still smiling at her and waved to her like nothing happened. She walked towards him.

"I am sorry. For just getting angry at you for no reason.", she said quickly.

"It's alright, it happens, and it was my fault to say that last part. I shouldn’t interfere in your personal life. I just hope we can remain friends.", he said cheerily, like the first time they had met. Natalie felt like she saw something different in the smile today though.

"You know, I was thinking, you did a great favour on me by getting me out of depression. Allow me to return the favour.", she said.

"No, it's fine. I wasn’t expecting anything in return."

"Oh, c'mon, I insist. I am seriously indebted to you. Just ask for something. I'll try my best. There must be something."

"You know sometimes, people get really annoyed when I ask them for favours. Nobody can grant them easily. There, I warned you."

"It's okay, just tell me."

"Start boxing again."

Natalie was stunned. She didn’t know what she was expecting. But suddenly she saw something in him that reminded her of her brother. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Sometimes you don’t need a reason, like now. You don’t have to do it. I had rather you not get angry at me again.", he said.

"Fine.", she whispered with a poker face.

"Couldn’t hear you there.", he said.

"I'll do it.", she said with a louder voice, and a faint smile appearing on her lips. This is the second time, she thought.

"You are gonna love the gym. When do you want to start?", he asked.

"Any time you're free.", she said.

He grabbed her hand and led her into the gym. It was a big warehouse-like area. There was a big ring in between and several training equipment. Men were punching the huge sandbags and working out everywhere. There was a woman sitting close to the ring talking to a tall man. Nathan took her right there and introduced her to the owner and keeper of the gym, Mark Park. He was a 6 feet 4 inches tall blond guy who wore a very thin sweatshirt which clearly exposed his abs. But the woman beside him was even more spectacular. She wore a tank top and had a big injury on her left arm where she was bleeding but she looked unfazed. She stood up and greeted Natalie and introduced herself as Jennifer. She was shorter than Mark but at least a little taller than Natalie.

"She used to be a boxer, she wants to resume.", Nathan said.

"Sure thing, Nate, is she good?", Mark said in a deep baritone voice.

"Why don’t you try find out?", Natalie chirped in, her voice successfully concealing her nervousness and excitement at the thought of boxing again.

Mark passed her a pair of gloves and got on the ring. "Would have sent Jennifer, but she's injured."

"It's fine as long as you don’t get hurt, right?", Natalie said in her tough girl voice, although it came out unnatural. Mark laughed and donned his gloves and beckoned at her. She got on the ring and took her stance. She noticed Nathan staring at her very carefully.

Mark slowly threw a few light jabs but she was easily able to block them and she found an opening on his right and sidestepped and threw a hook aimed for his face. She slipped and he ducked before the hook hit him and gave a firm jab at the side of her abdomen and she fell. "Need some catching up to do, old woman." She got up and took a more aggressive stance and went at him faster still. They exchanged a few punches here and there but none were too strong, like they were testing each other.

Suddenly, Mark stepped back and his expression changed. He looked really fierce all of a sudden.

"Ooh! Guys get here, Mike's getting serious!", a spectator shouted.

Men started swarming around the ring and Natalie counted at least 10 men not including Nathan who sat on a high chair a little front up. Mark charged at her with his left holding up his guard and shot a strong jab at her. The jab hit her hand just as she blocked it. It hurt and a familiar feeling came into her. She looked carefully for any openings and found one eventually when he threw a hard right hook and she jabbed his stomach and ducked the hook. He went a little back and she charged for his right shoulder and landed a neat hook right where she wanted it. Mark budged a little but then let go a blitz of jabs aiming for her chest area and pushed her into a corner. She had no idea what to do and she would lose at that rate.

"Alright! Stop it now.", Nathan shouted.

Mark withdrew and stepped back. A creepy smile showed up on his face as he threw his mouthguard away.

"You are one hell of a boxer, girl!", he announced and took off his gloves. She was panting heavily and buckled to the ground. It was too much physical exertion for a day. Nathan got on the ring and helped her down onto a chair.

"Sorry, I forced you into it. I thought maybe you would try boxing again.", he said.

"Thank you. Again. I think boxing is what I need now. Thank you a lot.", she muttered with a huge smile on her face between loud gasps.

"So I take it you will be coming again?", Nathan asked slowly.

"Yeah, you bet I will."

She visited her brother at hospital one day. After a long time, she didn’t have to cry in front of him. She had lost most of the excess fat on her body and became better at boxing. She still wasn't as good as Mark but atleast as good as she was before everything had happened. Nathan regularly gave her tips on improving but she seemed to see a different look in his eyes. She was walking back home that day when she saw something shuffling in a narrow alley on the road. Then she heard a shout. She ran towards the corner and so several silhouettes. Probably around 4 or 5 men. And a shorter boy in between. There were bruises all over his skin. It was Nathan. Natalie rushed into the alley and pushed one of the men aside.
"Nathan, what happened?", she said as she kneeled beside him and inspected his wounds.

"Just go away, woman! Who are you?", he shouted with a frightened look in his eyes.

"What the hell, Nathan!", she said loudly.

One of the men put a hand on her shoulder. She took the hand and twisted it into an awkward angle until she heard a nice cracking sound. Two of the men charged at her. She weaved underneath their lousy punches and  kicked one guy in the balls and pushed the other guy hard onto the wall. Another guy shouted something and ran away. Her blood was boiling with rage and excitement and gave the last standing guy a perfect high kick to the temple which made him fall almost instantly. The guy who she pushed was holding a knife to Nathan's neck. Nathan wasn’t struggling and let himself go limp.

"If something happens to him, I will kill you.", she shouted choking back tears and fear. He looked at her eyes and ran away in the opposite direction. Nathan was now almost completely unconscious. She knelt beside him and looked at the wound on his shoulder and on his abdomen. She put her hands there and suddenly he grabbed her hand and looked at her closely. Then his eyes closed. Her house was not very far from there so she picked him up and started walking home. She got a doctor to come to her house and treat him. The doctor said all his wounds were not severe and could heal soon but his knees had been fractured and it would take him at least a month to recover.

"How are you feeling?", she asked him when he woke up. He seemed completely taken aback finding himself in an alien room with different clothes which fit him pretty well. He looked at her sitting across the room reading a book and suddenly shook with a strong jerk and fell back. She immediately came to his side and supported him before he banged his head on the back of the bed.

"Why am I here?", he said very slowly in a quiet tone, "Was it you last night?"

"Yeah, you take some rest. I tried calling your mom but the phone was busy.", she said.

"She always is. And I fractured my legs didn’t I? I can't feel them.", he said, trying to withdraw himself from his deep thoughts.

"Nathan, I think we shouldn’t meet...", she said all of a sudden.

"What? Why?", he abruptly stopped her midsentence.

"Anyone who's got close to me has had something wrong in their life, I don’t want another person I care about to get harmed. You got fractured and injured because of me.", she said, stretching her words.

"Shut up! Don’t return into that old depressed self now. Those guys came for me, not because of you. You do not get to decide when I should meet you and when I shouldn’t.", he shouted, panting and taking deeper breaths.

She looked a little shocked when she saw him get angry. He normally was always cheery and cracking bad jokes and making her laugh. Now within a few hours, she saw two completely different sides to him. Probably she was overreacting.

"Calm down now.", she said much more quietly, almost a whisper.

He slept for a few more hours and woke up for lunch. She gave him some lunch to eat, his favourite lasagna and cheese sticks. She talked to him a little, trying to cheer him up. She was not a good talker but he seemed to listen intently anyway, or probably it was the lasagna. She carried him downstairs and put him on the sofa comfortably so he could watch TV. He looked a lot more like her brother now. He even wore her brother's clothes. She was also scared. What if something wrong happened. On his part, he looked happy again.

"So, do you want to talk?", she asked him.

"I clicked a few photos of their gang leader feasting on drugs and girls and gave them to the police. They came for me and beat me. You came and spanked their ass. If anyone has to be sorry, it’s me. I got you into this mess.", he said.

"Your mom still didn’t pick the call.", she said.

"She's not here in town. She almost never is. I stay alone at home. She's probably forgotten about me.", he said.

"What's the story?", she asked him cautiously.

His eyes turned a little red.

"Dad died a few years ago, a little after my sis. She's been depressed ever since. Comes home rarely, sometimes she isn't here for three to four months.", he said.

"I am sorry. And you are staying here with me then. I am not letting you stay alone with those broken knees.", she said as she gave him a juice can.

He flashed his mesmerising smile at her and flicked open the can.

A month later, Nathan was back on his feet and Natalie won her first bout after years. It was a women's boxing league held in the state. She even entered a mixed martial arts league in which she almost made it to the finals but lost to a hefty man who used some advanced taekwondo on her. Natalie had grown much closer to Nathan than ever. He almost replaced her brother for him. He always seemed to snuggle up to her like her brother did. He must miss his sister a lot, she thought.

She even started dating. She met a man called David who she met at a boxing match. He was the brother of the fighter and seemed highly enthusiastic about boxing and kept talking a lot with her. At the end of the match, when she was leaving, he asked her out. She thought about it for a second and then said yes. They met often and she eventually introduced him to Nathan at a café.

"Hi, I am David, Natalie has told me a lot about you. I really wanted to meet you.", he said in a friendly manner.

"Oh! Has she? You know what, you guys talk I'll be back soon.", Nathan replied with a blank voice and stormed into the washroom.

"I'm sorry, he seems a little off mood today. But he doesn’t stay like that for too long. Don’t worry about it.", Natalie said.

When Nathan returned, David was holding her hand. Nathan felt angrier but he knew he couldn’t just get angry like that. He had to remain calm, for her sake.

"I am sorry. Had a little stomach problem, I think I should go home.", Nathan said and turned to go.

"Nathan, are you fine now? Do you need to see a doctor?", Natalie asked worriedly.

"Nah! And I wouldn’t want to ruin your date, would I?", he said, saying the words as calmly as possible and left before she said a word.

Natalie and David grew closer and Nathan was getting restless. He sometimes had the urge to follow them and check on Natalie but David seemed to be a flawless gentleman. He was too perfect. He kept getting more and more irritated. If I don’t confess, she might fall for David completely. , he thought.

One night, they were at the gym. Natalie was talking to David on the ring. Nathan got closer to the ring and cleared his throat.

"Hi, Nathan! Didn’t know you were here.", Natalie said when she saw him. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Natalie, I love you.", Nathan said loudly enough for the sound to reverberate across the empty gym.

Natalie looked stunned. David's expression was unreadable. An unnerving silence ensued.

"Nathan, I love you too, but what’s wrong right now?", she said cautiously. There was a long pause. David gave himself a face slap and Nathan looked down.

"I am not your brother. And I think I have got my answer. Sorry for bothering you and your date.", Nathan shouted and ran away. He slammed the door shut on his way out.

"What's wrong with him? He's being so immature and unreadable these days.", Natalie said.

"Go after him.", David said.

"What? He's going to come back anyway."

"Don’t make that mistake. If you let go, he might never come back."

"But David…"

"Forget about me. I liked you, but I will never be able to love you more than he does, I saw him around us since our first date. I have noticed how he acts around you. I knew it all along. I was just trying to make him confess faster. He loves you much more than any other man could. And the truth is, you love him more than you could love any other man. Go and stop him."

"But he's like a brother…"

"Oh do shut up, he told you, he's not your brother. You are always talking about him and what he's doing. You already have a brother, you don't need another one. Go now."

He pushed her out of the ring. The look in his eyes was firm.

She searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Days passed by but she never saw him again. She went to the church one day, fearing the worst. What if something happened to him?

The church doors were closed. She called out to a passerby.

"Hello, do you know when the priest is going to come?", she asked.

"Oh, I don’t know, the priest has been sick, almost been an year now. Don't think you had find him anytime soon. The church has been deserted for ages now.", the man said.

"What? Then…", she muttered under her breath as the man resumed his jogging.

She went in and sat in one of the chairs. The priest was sick! Who did I see then?, she thought. She walked towards the confession box and sat inside. Through the grill, she saw the priest.

"Who are you?", she asked him in a grave tone.

"A servant of God, my child. What's wrong?", the priest asked.

"The priest is sick. For over an year. Other people have seen no priest in the church."

"Hmm… So you found out. It doesn’t matter, like many things in the world. Why are you so sad now?",

"You're right. It doesn’t matter. Nathan's missing. I can’t find him anywhere.", she said and her eyes started swelling with tears. "It's all my fault. I made him run away. I want to apologise to him, to take back everything I said. And what if he's in trouble! He already got in trouble once with those mafia". She started crying openly and the priest looked at her with wistful eyes. "

"Nothing will happen to him, everything will be alright with God's grace. Keep searching. You shall find him if you are destined to meet again."

"How do you know so firmly?", she asked.

"Hope and Belief are my only offerings to the world.", the priest replied.

"Thanks for talking. Even though you are not a priest. You talked to me and helped me for an year now. And thanks for giving hope.", she said.

She got out of the church and got in her car. The tyre was flat. She sighed and put on the radio and listened. Then, a short boy got out of the church. Nathan? She ran out and after him. He silently got into his car and drove away, not noticing her. She rushed into the church, it was empty, even the confession box. She inspected everything nearby. There was a wig. And a rubber mask. No wonder it had looked so fake.

Next day, she went everywhere where she thought he could have been. Even to the church. He was still not anywhere to be found. She kept getting restless. Then she saw him at a nearby abandoned gym. He looked at the sandbag intently and took a stance.

"Nathan!", she shouted as she ran towards him. He looked at her with a cold stare. Like he was telling her to back off.

"I am sorry! I was confused. I didn’t know. I treated you like a brother when you loved me. I possibly did the worst thing possible to you. I didn’t mean to. I… am sorry.", she said, her voice turning into a whisper at the end. She kept moving forward until she was in front of him. He didn’t look at her. He started punching the sandbag harder and harder. She held his hand, he jerked it away and walked away from her. She grabbed his hand again and pulled him towards her, she held both his hands and held him tighter. Both his hands were squeezed in between them. She bent down a bit and hugged him tighter with him still struggling weakly in her grasp.
"Look at me", she said, his head slowly moved upwards.

She kissed him. He stopped struggling. She hugged him tighter and kissed him harder. He gave in to her as she consumed him. All their frustration was released. He put his arms around her neck. She put her hands on his waist and hoisted him up so that his was face level with her. He wrapped his legs around her waist and she held his back with one hand and his head with the other.

From the next day, they were officially dating.

"I am a whole six years older than you and about a whole foot taller. You are okay with that right?", she had asked him.

"Of course, I love you.", he had replied.

"You were the priest, right?"

"Yeah…"

"I love you too.", she had said. And they kissed.